[trip style = any]
I love planes with personal seat-back entertainment consoles. You can watch what you want when you want, play games and check the flight's status. Sadly, the information in the status area is never as comprehensive as I'd like it to be, and some planes don't even have personal screens. Quelle horreur!

Enter the WindowSeat app. Without the need for GPS or a network connection, it acts like a tour guide and pilot status report in one. Using your iPhone as a flight tracker, it shows you what's below, gathers the flight plan for your journey and maps the route.

Testing this app on a virtual flight from Seattle to Sacramento, it was easy to find and start the flight, and tap points of interest below to learn about places like the Oroville Dam {the tallest earthen dam in the US}. If the captain makes an announcement about updated time of arrival or ground speed, these settings can both be updated within the app to achieve a more accurate reading.

Right now this app only works for flights within the contiguous USA {ie - sadly not Alaska or Hawaii}, but hopefully its database will expand to include the rest of the US and more countries like Canada. For now, it's a decent download if you travel a lot within the US.

Details

$2.99

no wifi connection required

available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Android is in the realm of possibility, but not confirmed

Track any commercial flight throughout the U.S.

WindowSeat calculates your position and anticipated arrival time based on the assigned route and airtime of your flight

Update your position based on your flight’s actual status, and WindowSeat recalculates your time

View images and read descriptions about the points-of-interest you pass below

If your flight has wifi, let friends know where you're at in the flight

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